Instructure Launches White-Label Distance Learning Platform

Instructure has launched a new service for schools, colleges and universities that lets them host their own branded distance courses and course catalogs online — Canvas Catalog.

Instructure is the maker of the Canvas learning management system and operator of the Canvas Network MOOC platform. The latest offering is not a replacement for Canvas Network, but it is an evolution of that service that's designed to bring the online course catalog "back to the institutional level."

Through Canvas Catalog, institutions can brand their catalogs and even tailor their branding for international courses. The course catalog (pictured) supports public course offerings, custom course landing pages, support for specializations through course collections, support for discounts and promo codes, automatic certificate distribution for completion and support for payments.

Instructure Canvas Catalog

"We think the next step in the MOOC experiment is to help institutions harness the power of open, online learning within the fold of their institutional identity," said Melissa Loble, senior director of Canvas Network. "Through Canvas Catalog, institutions can also provide preparatory programs, continuing professional development and community-based lifelong learning experiences."

Instructure has gone public with two organizations that are in the process of launching catalogs on the new platform:

Pasco County Schools in Florida, which is launching courses for its virtual school through Canvas Catalog in the next few months and

Academic Partnerships, which is launching an international specialization/credential program.

"Our students, parents and teachers often need to go to as many as five different Web sites to access their courses," said JoAnne Glenn, principal of Pasco eSchool, in a prepared statement. "With Catalog's easy-to-use interface, everything is in one place, streamlining our entire process."

"The [Academic Partnerships] Open Network is a fully integrated global student engagement and online course delivery system that supports the entire student lifecycle from recruitment, registration and payment to multilingual course delivery, tracking, reporting and credentialing," said AP Vice Chairman Rob Ganji, also in a prepared statement. "Through our strategic partnership with Instructure, the Canvas Catalog is helping to make an ambitious initiative like ours a reality."

Canvas Catalog is a front end to the Canvas LMS. Licenses vary, but, according to Instructure, pricing is designed to be "accessible." Further details can be found at instructure.com.

About the Author

David Nagel is editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Technology Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal and STEAM Universe. A 25-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art and business publications.